Vidia Captures the Hawk
by StellarDust2K
Summary: Hey, I bet that title caught your eye. Actually, she has some help.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I acknowledge that Disney Fairies & associated content are owned by Walt Disney Company. I am not interested in profiting from this document. It is for the enjoyment of fans only.

**Author's Note:** Here's my my third TBell story. I needed to include all the fast-flyers in this one. Information on Vidia & Wisp is good. For Leeta, it's minimal. But for Elwood & Tizzywing, it's sketchy. The rest, I made up. I'll have to rate this story as "T", because (spoiler alert) someone gets injured.

**Caution:** This story contains technical content, which may cause drowsiness in some readers. Do not operate vehicles or heavy equipment while reading this story.

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**Vidia Captures the Hawk** - Chapter 1 - Raptor Phobia

"Hawk!" came the dreaded call, for the third time that morning.

Queen Clarion's pen hand flinched, spoiling the word she had just written in her personal journal. She lifted her head, and frowned in concern at the alarm horns and shouts from outside. Something had changed. Clarion closed her journal, stood and glided toward the door.

The door opened unexpectedly, and Clarion's Ministers of Summer, Autumn, and Winter glided-in unannounced.

"Forgive us, Highness," began the Minister of Autumn, "but we have an urgent..."

"Something must be done about the hawk!" interrupted the Minister of Winter. The other two Ministers stared at her in shock, as she gave Clarion her best icy gaze.

"I know." Clarion responded. She looked past them to her summoning-talent in the doorway. "Viola, could you call-in Fairy Mary, Beck, and Baden?"

"As quick as I can, My Lady." Viola turned and raced off.

* * *

><p>"I think you all know why we're here." began Clarion. She turned to Beck, one of her top animal-talents. "Beck, is this a Neverland hawk?"<p>

"No, Queen Clarion. I've never seen this hawk before." Beck answered, shyly. The Ministers exchanged puzzled looks.

"As I suspected." stated Clarion.

"Where could it have come from?" asked the Minister of Autumn.

"I think you'll find that our mainland fairies are missing a hawk." responded Clarion.

"You mean..." suggested the Minister of Summer, "This hawk followed some of our fairies to Neverland?"

"Exactly." Clarion glanced at them all. "Someone was careless." She turned to the scout-talent, "Baden, is there anything else you can tell us about this hawk?"

"Your Highness, we're not sure yet where... she?..." glancing at Beck, who nodded, "...is hiding at night. Also, I've seen this hawk fly over dairy-mice to chase fairies." The group gasped in shock. Dairy-mice would be fat, easy prey for a hawk.

"So." broke Clarion. "A mainland hawk, with a vendetta for fairies." This was worse than any of them had imagined. "What can we do about her?"

"She must be killed." declared the Minister of Winter. Baden nodded agreement, while Beck looked close to tears.

Clarion viewed the Minister with disapproval. "That is not the fairy way."

"What then? Talk to the hawk?"

"That may be possible," Beck reflected "If we had an opportunity."

Clarion turned to Fairy Mary. "Is there any way we could... capture her?" There were several grumbles of disagreement.

Fairy Mary turned a bit pale, and put a hand to her collar. "Capture the hawk! I-I don't know. Perhaps Tinker Bell may have some ideas..."

"Very well then." Clarion announced. "We all meet here again in 24 hours. Everyone try to think of ways to capture, or at least defend against the hawk." As they rose to leave, Clarion held up a hand. "Oh, and I want all fairies, work-mice, and dairy-mice dressed in Neverland camouflage. No exceptions."

Clarion then turned to her nearest assistant, dictating an urgent message for mainland scouts and animal-talents.

* * *

><p>"This is intolerable!" declared Rosetta. "I just picked up my new summer dress yesterday, and we're forced into dingy old camo-outfits? How's a garden-talent supposed to set an example for her blooms?" She took an annoyed chomp out of her poppy-puff roll.<p>

Tinker Bell giggled. "It's either Never-camo, or you can be hawk-bait." She sipped at her tea.

"I don't think it's funny at all." stated Iridessa, picking at her plate. "I've heard this hawk is the reincarnation of Kyto's dead mate. It's out to get Neverland fairies."

"Dessa, it's just a hawk." Tink assured her.

"I don't know, guys." Fawn said between bites. "This hawk is extra-mean. It's not one of ours."

"A new hawk?" Tink raised her eyebrows, "There goes the neighborhood."

Bobble rushed into Dulsie's tearoom, scanned the place, and quickly approached. "Tinker Bell!" he cried, "Fairy Mary needs to see you right away!"

"Oo-oo-oo." the girls all said.

Tink groaned as she got to her feet. "I'm not in trouble again, am I?" she asked Bobble, hoping for a clue to build an "explanation".

"She didn't say." The pair fluttered out.

"Well, did she look angry?" was the last thing the girls heard.

* * *

><p>"They want to capture the hawk?" Tink combed the fingers of one hand through her side-bangs repeatedly, as she gazed at the empty tinker worktable. "Clattering kettles, they sure can pick some tough jobs for us, can't they?" She glanced at Fairy Mary, sitting beside her.<p>

"Perhaps a net of some sort." suggested Mary.

"That's a good idea, but how to use it? Hawks aren't stupid, and they're fast. It'll need to be led to the net, which means..."

"Someone must lead the hawk to the net." Fairy Mary blanched at the thought.

"Only fast-flyers would stand a chance of surviving that task." Tink twirled her bangs in her fingers, and gave them light pulls. "They could use help. Anything we could come up with."

"I'll ask the scouts and animal-talents about possible trap locations," decided Mary, "And get our tinkers to work on nets."

"I'll be in the library." Tink rose.

"Remember Tinker Bell," Mary called after her, "We need plans by tomorrow morning."

* * *

><p>Tink went first to the fairy books, looking for any information on hawks. She was disappointed to find only descriptions &amp; diagrams of different hawks, and logs on how many have been in Neverland over the centuries. Most depressing, were the records of fairies injured or "taken" by the hawks.<p>

"_Not that it would do a hawk any good._" thought Tink grimly. "_Fairies turn into a pile of pixie dust when they're killed._"

Tink turned next to the newest extension of the fairy library, which contained human "books". Tinker Bell herself had started this section, with a few real human books. She quickly realized that human books were unnecessarily enormous, by fairy standards.

Years ago, Tink had talked Queen Clarion into assigning a number of scout-talents to special duties: Gathering information that might be of interest to fairies, from human sources. Tinker Bell had helped German engineering companies design & build a limited quantity of compact film cameras. Tink had trained the scouts in their use, and the film was purchased & developed anonymously on the mainland, all paid for with pirates' gold.

So the scouts went forth, into human public libraries, universities, manufacturing companies, and even military bases, copying information for the Pixie Hollow library. There were tens of thousands of books on "microfilm", and it was time for the efforts to pay-off.

Tink found much more information on hawks, including a bit about their flying abilities. This pointed her toward physics textbooks, where she learned what humans knew of the principles of air pressure, air movement, and flight.

"_This is fascinating._" thought Tink. "_Those humans are so clever._" She next looked into aircraft design, construction, and flight manuals. Ideas were cooking in her head as she continued.

Tinker Bell realized it was very late, when she caught herself yawning every minute. "Must get some sleep," she croaked to herself, "If I want to function tomorrow." She witnessed nothing during her short flight home, as her mind churned with plans.

* * *

><p>"Tinker Bell!" Fairy Mary was pounding on her cottage door. "Tinker Bell! It's almost time for the meeting!" Tink opened the door, half awake.<p>

"Come, Tinker Bell." ordered Mary, "The meeting starts any moment." She eyed the dopey tinker with concern.

"Meeting?"

"About capturing the hawk!"

"Hawk?" suddenly Tink was fully awake. "Yes, the hawk!"

* * *

><p>As Tink &amp; Fairy Mary raced to the Pixie Dust Tree, Mary asked "Did you manage to come up with anything?"<p>

"Yes." confirmed Tink, "But we'll have to "sell it". It's a bit involved; you'll catch-on as I present it, but it may give the fast-flyers their best chance."

* * *

><p>The only other ideas submitted involved rocks &amp; sticks, water-bombs, and bees. None of them got around to actually capturing the hawk. Then Fairy Mary put forth her "net" idea, which was well received, until they realized the hawk must be led into the net. That's when Tinker Bell took the floor.<p>

It was an up-hill battle, but Tink described her plans in detail, answered all questions, and covered fears with reassurances. Eventually Queen Clarion admitted the plans, although unorthodox, could give her fast-flyers a good chance of success.

"How soon can we capture the hawk?" someone asked.

"I'll need a few days for preparation." explained Tink.

"The sooner this is over, the better." said Clarion. "I'll authorize any resources you need, but I cannot order the fast-flyers to risk their lives. I'll summon them and ask for their participation."

* * *

><p>In the Main Hall, Tink watched from aside as the fast-flyers assembled before Queen Clarion and her Ministers. Wisp was front &amp; center of the group, Elwood and Aura stood beside her, with Leeta, Hermes, Tizzywing and Zephyr behind. Vidia herself stood apart from the group, scowling and arms crossed, where she could scrutinize everyone.<p>

"I'm sure you know why I've summoned you..." Clarion started.

"It's the hawk." interrupted Wisp, with confidence.

"You want us to chase it away?" asked another of the fast-flyers.

"I don't think that would work for long." Clarion pointed out. "This hawk is unusually aggressive. We need to know why." She glanced at Tink. "The tinkers are building nets." Vidia exhaled loudly, and narrowed her eyes. "How do you feel about capturing the hawk?"

Vidia moved not a muscle, not a wing, but her eyes flicked between Clarion, the fast-flyers, and Tinker Bell. The fast-flyers were momentarily stunned.

"I've never, never, ever heard of fairies capturing a hawk. Nope. Not ever." babbled Elwood.

The fast-flyers glanced at each other. It was a frightening challenge, but none of them wanted to shy away from it before their fellow talents, their Queen, and her Ministers. With a mixture of fear and pride, silent assent passed between their eyes.

Wisp turned to Clarion, "We'll do it." she spoke quietly.

"There is another requirement." Clarion added. "While it will take several days to set up the traps, I want you all to attend special training from Tinker Bell."

"Tinker Bell?" several of the flyers scoffed.

"What would a _tinker_ know about fast-flying?" Wisp demanded, with mild contempt. The group snorted and smirked.

"Tinker Bell has presented an outline to me," Clarion asserted "And I think you'll be surprised. I'm convinced she can show you how to prevail against the hawk."

"Well... " Wisp responded, "Anything to keep from going stir-crazy over the next few days." The group grumbled. Clarion beckoned to Tinker Bell, who fluttered over to the group.

"I'm still setting things up," explained Tink "But special training should begin tomorrow morning. I just need to find a location. We'll let you know before the day is out."

* * *

><p>Tinker Bell flew first to the tinker shop. Production of 6 large nets was going well, but would still take days. She started some of the tinkers on another project, to be ready for the next day.<p>

Tink's next stop was to speak with Beck and her animal-talents. Tink described an unusual project for them. They were hesitant at first, but grew excited as they thought about it more.

The remainder of the afternoon, Tinker Bell spent cruising the skies around Pixie Hollow, looking for the right place to do her fast-flyer training. Eventually she found the location she wanted. It was under a good-sized tree with sturdy low branches. Close-by was a thicket of dense brush.

Tink returned to the site after a quick visit to the garden-talents. She had two of them remove some plants from the center of the brush thicket, and take out enough to make a concealed passage to the new clearing, but not enough to make the bare section visible from outside the thicket. Then she had them recondition the ground, so that it looked like a natural miniature clearing in the thicket.

When the garden-talents left, Tink stood inside the thicket. Through the twigs and leaves, she had a reasonable view of the clear area under the tree. "_Excellent._" she thought.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Tinker Bell's plans are revealed in Chapter 2.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I acknowledge that Disney Fairies & associated content are owned by Walt Disney Company. I am not interested in profiting from this document. It is for the enjoyment of fans only.

**Author's Note:** Fairy science lesson coming up!

**Caution:** This chapter contains technical content, which some readers may find boring. Reader discretion is advised.

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**Vidia Captures the Hawk** - Chapter 2 - Tink's Flying School

Early next morning, Tinker Bell was just setting up a portable chalk board at her training site, when most of the fast-flyers zipped in.

"Good to see you all." greeted Tink, "Uh... where are Aura and Tizzywing?"

"Getting dusted." said Zephyr. "They'll be along shortly."

"And Vidia?"

"I don't think Vidia is interested." replied Leeta. "She's probably still sleeping."

"Oh." Tink's wings drooped. "I'll be back in a few minutes, then." She took to the air.

"You're wasting your time!" Wisp called after her.

* * *

><p>Tink sighed, and knocked at the door in the sour plum tree. This wasn't the first time she'd stood pleading before Vidia's door.<p>

"Vidia?" Tink paused to listen, then tried again "Vidia?"

"Go away!" came a muffled call from within.

"Please join us. I have information you could use." Tink paused, but got no response. "Vidia, you're the best. Everyone knows it. I can show you how to out-fly the hawk, if you'll just give me a chance." Still no noise from inside the cottage. "Please, Vidia." Tink felt as though she was talking to the door. She sighed once more, "You know where to find us." and reluctantly glided off.

Vidia was in no spirit to talk. After the summoning of the fast-flyers yesterday, she had flown straight home, and spent the time since then curled into a ball in bed. She was mired in another of her "dark times". She knew it was a fabrication of her mind. Normally, she wouldn't hesitate to heap verbal abuse on the perky tinker, but somehow it was just easier to surrender to her darkness.

Something the tinker had said poked at her: "_show you how to out-fly the hawk_". The tinker was insane; the best way to survive the hawk was to fly like the wind for a hiding place. If she could just get up, she'd tell that tinker a few things. "_But who cares what I have to say_." she thought, as the darkness crept in again.

She needed Mr. Wong's special herbal tea. It was just a few steps away, in her kitchen cupboard, but to reach it seemed like the labor of 10 lifetimes. A little at a time, she pushed her legs out over the edge of the bed, until they sagged to the floor by their own weight. She went to work on pushing herself upright, next.

With a rotating spiel of self-encouragement, self-directed orders, and self-abuse, she got herself to her feet, and made it to her kitchen counter-top. Once there, it was easier to find a cup, drop in a measure & a half of the herbal tea, add some water, and stir, stir, stir.

She forced herself to drink the entire contents, with promises of going back to bed. She did, in fact, sit on the edge of the bed for a while, but her darkness faded, and she was then able to make small plans.

* * *

><p>"Tell me," began Tinker Bell, "What is your best way of dealing with the hawk?" She gazed at the collected fast-flyers seated on the ground before her.<p>

"Fly fast and hide." said Hermes, the flyers nodded consent.

"What if I claimed that every one of you can out-fly the hawk." declared Tink.

"You've been drinking fermented nectar!" smirked Wisp. The flyers chuckled.

"Even Vidia can't out-race the hawk." pointed out Aura.

"That's only because you panic." responded Tink. "You fly in a straight line, with a few predictable turns. But all of you can out-maneuver the hawk. I want to teach you what humans call Air Combat Maneuvering. With training and practice, the hawk will never catch you." The flyers were quiet; she had their attention.

"First, I should remind you of some basic differences." Tink continued. "The hawk is like any other bird, or human aircraft. She has weight to move around, she must work to climb higher, and she has limited speed & turning ability, depending on her energy of the moment. We'll get to that soon."

"Fairies, on the other hand, are unique as flying creatures. We can do things that no bird, or aircraft, or even insects can do. I'll explain that later. I'll need your patience as we cover a bit of air flight theory, but it will show you that the hawk has limits. Some of these limits do not apply to fairies."

Suddenly everyone's focus was broken by the sound of fairy alarm horns. They all looked in the direction of Pixie Hollow. Tinker Bell turned to her fast-flyer students, saying "Ignore that. Everyone is wearing Neverland camouflage. I'm sure the hawk will find nothing of interest."

Tink explained to the fast-flyers how the hawk's wings worked during each operation, from full-dive to near-stall. She described the conflicts between the hawk's size, speeds, and maneuverability. She explained the trade-offs between kinetic and potential energies for the hawk during flight.

"Now, on to fairies." continued Tink. "Fairy wings are not actually large enough, or strong enough to give us flight." The fast-flyers gasped in disbelief. "Just see how well you fly without pixie dust some day."

"Oh, yeah." they grumbled.

"Thanks to pixie dust, fairies have 2 flying properties shared by no other creature. First, we can adjust our buoyancy." Tink crossed her arms, stilled her wings, then pushed off from the ground with her toes and floated. "This allows us to hover, using minimal wing effort." She floated back to the ground, landing lightly as fluff.

"Second, we can adjust our mass, which is like weight, but it works in all directions, not just "down". This gives us near-ideal flight dynamics." She buzzed into the air, and snapped back & forth quickly. "We can do high-speed starts & stops, and right-angle turns." She settled back to the ground. "It also somewhat protects us from injury in collisions."

"Those are big advantages against the hawk. Now I'm going to show you what humans call Basic Fighter Maneuvers." Tink used small models of a hawk and a fairy, on sticks, to demonstrate Zoom Climbs, Breaks, Immelmann/Pitchback/Split-S Turns, Kulbit Loops, and Cobra Maneuvers.

The fast-flyers were mesmerized. She next showed them Barrel Rolls, Canopy Rolls, High/Low Yo-yos, and J-Turns. Finally she covered Lead/Pure/Lag Pursuit, Flat/Rolling Scissors, and Defensive Spirals.

"It's time to break for lunch," said Tink, "But eat lightly, because you'll be practicing those moves this afternoon."

* * *

><p>As Tink watched her students tear through the sky that afternoon, she almost yearned for the total joy of flight the fast-flyers displayed. Wisp and Elwood were definitely the fastest. But Tizzywing, perhaps the "slowest", could do right-angle &amp; hairpin turns so fast, she seemed to disappear from pursuers.<p>

Their flyer brains had instinctively soaked-up and remembered the full variety and complexities of the maneuvers Tink had shown them hours ago. Tink admired how they understood & executed the moves on a level deeper than any bird or human. When the afternoon sun sank lower in the sky, she called them in for another briefing.

"Before we finish for the day," Tinker Bell noted to the fast-flyers, "I have something for you to think about. Having the skill to fly those moves won't guarantee your survival. You need to continuously observe, plan, and act, ...faster and smarter than the hawk. Humans call it Situation Awareness.

Suddenly again, the fairy alarm horns were heard. Several of the fast-flyers jumped to their feet. "Oh, sugar-plum-fairies." spat Tink. As the rest of the flyers jumped up, Tink leapt into the air in an effort to block their ascent. "NO!" she ordered. "You're NOT going after the hawk!" She knew she actually had no way of stopping even one of them, if they wanted to leave.

"We might be able to help..." suggested Zephyr.

"_Good,_" thought Tink "_At least they're hesitating._" "You think you've learned a lot, but look back in 2 day's time, and tell me if you think it's smart to go after the hawk today. You're more dangerous to yourselves right now than you were yesterday." She softened her voice. "Wait until your training is finished. The hawk's not going anywhere."

The fast-flyers settled back to the ground. The horns had stopped a minute ago. Tink dropped to the ground, and continued.

"There are 2 different missions at work: The hawk flies to kill you, while fairies fly to let themselves and the hawk live. For this assignment, you'll need to lead the hawk into the nets. That means staying out in front of the hawk. You need to know where the other flyers, obstacles, the ground, and nets are at all times. Most importantly, you need to know where the hawk is, and what she's doing. So you'll be spending a lot of your time looking behind you."

"But your safety comes first. You can't out-race the hawk in level flight, or a dive, but the hawk can't beat you in a turn, or a climb. That's your way out if the hawk gets too close. Use the sun, and the hawk's own body and wings to hide your approach and retreat. Don't give her a chance to learn your best moves; mix it up. Use the chaos of the chase to distract the hawk."

"That's it for today." finished Tink. "I'll meet you all back here tomorrow morning.

Tinker Bell followed the fast-flyers back toward Pixie Hollow, but veered-off to the animal-talents. The unusual project she gave them was going well. Tink headed next to the tinker workshop. Her project for them was finished. Tink made arrangements for it to be transported to her training site after dark. She would accompany them and supervise its set-up.

By this time, most fairies were at supper, but there was still plenty of light in the sky. Tinker Bell flew back to her training site, and cautiously approached the hidden entrance to the brush thicket. She stepped her way lightly to the small secret clearing in the thicket, near her training area under the large tree. Someone had been here; she saw more footprints. Someone had been sitting for a while. And there was a plate! With pastry crumbs and a half-eaten lemon tart on it!

"Vidia." Tink breathed to herself, with a smile.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Author's Post Note:

A LOT of TBell fans adore Vidia, so I wondered how to "get her right". I considered putting her through an on-line personality test, but which Vidia? Between the movies, the books, and the fan-fiction, Vidia's character can be anything from surly-but-helpful, to spitting venom at anything that moves.

Then one day I thought "What if Vidia was slightly manic-depressive?". Not cripplingly so, just enough to affect her personality. The more research I did, the more it seemed to explain a lot: Why she lives alone, why she's so driven to be the best, why she belittles others, and why Queen Clarion puts up with her. See Wikipedia's entry for: Cyclothymia.

Maybe I wrote Vidia's "depression" scene a bit heavy-handed, but I hope you get the idea.

Come to think of it, Elwood shows some symptoms of hypomania... or maybe it's his honey-addiction.

Thanks to Wikipedia and assorted air combat flight-sim websites for the technical info.

More fast-flyer fun in Chapter 3.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I acknowledge that Disney Fairies & associated content are owned by Walt Disney Company. I am not interested in profiting from this document. It is for the enjoyment of fans only.

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* * *

><p><strong>Vidia Captures the Hawk<strong> - Chapter 3 - Beaky the Hawk

The fast-flyers were already at Tinker Bell's training site the next morning, when she touched down behind them. Their attention was held by a crudely-made, life-size model of the hawk. It hung 3 feet off the ground by twine cords at the front & back, attached to a branch higher above. The wings were extended, as if in flight, and the tinkers who built it even painted a beak and angry eyes on it.

"What do you think?" Tink smiled, stepping around them.

"It's sure ugly." responded Wisp. There were nervous chuckles from the flyers.

"Yesterday you learned mostly defensive flying tactics," proposed Tink, "But today we'll see if you can do some offensive tricks. Everyone into the air, in front of Beaky the Hawk." They all jumped into the air. "Spread out a bit."

"As fast-flyers, one of your talents is the ability to make a vortex." Tink continued. Several vortices appeared near the flyers. "Okay, one at a time... uh, Wisp. How large can you make your vortex?"

Wisp tightened her lips and squinted her eyes, as her vortex grew to 20 feet in height. Leaves blew in trees for many yards around.

"Wow, that's more than enough!" Tink admired, over the noise. "Make it small again." Wisp drew it back down. "Can you turn it on its side?"

Wisp looked puzzled. "Never done that before..." She frowned in concentration, as the vortex tail pulled strongly to one side. She shook her head as she collapsed the vortex, and re-started it on its side. "This is easier."

"Good." said Tink. "Point the open end at Beaky, and quick as you can, make it big!"

Wisp's vortex enveloped the hawk-model in a rush of wind, and drove it spinning on the twine cords like a pinwheel. The fast-flyers all gasped in surprise, and murmured between themselves.

"Excellent!" Tink cried. "Now turn your back to Beaky, as if he was chasing you, and try it again."

Wisp laid herself out in the air, as if in flight, looked over her shoulder at the hawk-model, and whipped another vortex at the model, with similar results.

"Flitterific!" declared Tink. "I'd like you all to take turns at this exercise." The fast-flyers collided and fumbled in mid-air, eager to be the next one to try, until they worked out a pecking order.

"What you're doing," explained Tink "Is similar to what humans call Wake Turbulence." She let them each go at it for a while, the stronger ones giving advice & encouragement to the weaker ones.

* * *

><p>"Okay, let's try another one." Tink broke into their fun. "Wisp?" Wisp zipped over. "You're out in front of Beaky," Wisp assumed the position, "Use your wind control to give him a big down-burst."<p>

Wisp looked over her shoulder, flicked her hand, and a blast of wind from above send the hawk-model swinging wildly. The fast-flyers "Ooo"ed and "Ahh"ed. They jostled for the chance to try it out.

"You can imagine what a down-burst would do to a real hawk." Tink explained, as the flyers took turns. "You can also try side-bursts. However, you don't want to use an up-burst. That would put the hawk above you, where she could dive."

"There's a subtle variation to the down-burst." Tink continued. "If you pull your wind forward and down, at the same speed the hawk is flying, her wings will stall and she'll drop."

Tinker Bell let them blast away at the hawk-model for the remainder of the morning. After a while, it became obvious the fast-flyers were trying their best to break it. To the tinkers' credit, the model was holding up well despite the abuse it was taking.

"Lunch time!" Tink called. The fast-flyers all looked hyped. "If you think that was fun, wait until this afternoon. Eat lightly, you'll be flying."

* * *

><p>Tinker Bell led the fast-flyers out of Pixie Hollow, to the border of Summer Glade and Autumn Forest. They landed near 3 large crows, on the backs of whom sat Beck, Fawn, and Nolli. Tink approached and asked if they were all ready, and got affirmatives from them. As the crows flapped into the air, she turned to the fast-flyers.<p>

"Given how difficult it is to persuade hawks to play nice with fairies, the animal-talents have been teaching these crows to fly like hawks." The flyers burst into grins. "They're not as strong, or fast as a hawk, but I think you'll find them more interesting than Beaky. They'll try to catch you if they can, so use everything you've learned."

Tink smiled, gestured "upward", and the fast-flyers shot into the air. From above, the 3 crows began hawk-like dives. Each one targeted a different fast-flyer, and the chases were on. The flyers who weren't targeted, fell in behind the crows, calling encouragement to the ones out in front.

For a while, the mock air chases looked like choreographed chaos. The animal-talents gave instructions to their crows, which emulated the tenacity of hawks. The crows managed to "tag" a few of the flyers, but the fast-flyers' new skills became more fluid and instinctive.

The fast-flyers began working more as a team. Whenever a crow got close to a pursued flyer, the trailing flyers would use their wind control to knock the crow around. This turned out to be a major source of confusion and frustration for the crows.

After about a half hour, the animal-talents landed the crows for a rest. After they stopped panting, the crows gulped down water, and clucked to their fairy handlers.

Fawn turned to the fast-flyers. "The crows told me, they're glad they're not hawks." she said with a grin.

"I think that should be enough crow-practice." declared Tinker Bell to the flyers. "We don't want to start a fairy/crow war. I trust you all learned something?" The fast-flyers all made agreeable comments. "The nets are just about in place," she continued "So you'll want to see them now, and do some trial runs."

They all thanked the crows and animal-talents, and flew for Pixie Hollow.

* * *

><p>Bobble was head-first, up to his hips, in the tinker shop's rope-braiding machine. The batch of nets that just left the shop had depleted the stores of rope, so their machine needed to be in top shape for the overtime it would soon be running to replace missing stock. He was just tightening a pinion gear, when he heard someone clearing their throat forcefully nearby.<p>

Bobble struggled his way out of the service access hole, and climbed to his feet, swaying a bit as his blood-pressure re-adjusted. A purple-clad fairy stood nearby with her back almost to him, arms crossed, and viewing the tinker shop with apparent disgust.

"Miss Vidia." he noted with surprise. "What brings you to our shop of tinker toys?" He smiled cautiously at her, busily wiping his hands on a scrap of moss. She turned to him.

"I need some small containers, with tops."

Bobble thanked his lucky stars, as Vidia seemed civil - almost polite - today. "Right this way, Miss Vidia." He led her out of the shop, and into a large storage shed in the back. "The smaller containers should be along the left wall. Do you know what size?"

"No. I'll know when I see them." They fluttered along the shelves, until she stopped and reached for a small bamboo container (about milk-quart size, if scaled-up for humans), with a tethered stopper-lid.

"The cooking-talents use a lot of those," explained Bobble, "For sugar, salt, spices, ..."

Vidia pulled off the lid and looked inside. "These will do." She took 3 more. "Now, I need some way to carry them, and keep my hands free." She eyed Bobble's waist.

Bobble felt nervously self-conscious, until he realized "Oh! The belt. This way." He led her to a smaller shed, which held tinker gloves, boots, heavy garments, and other wearable gear. He rummaged through a pile of tool belts, and pulled out one with loops large enough to hold Vidia's containers. When Vidia tried on the belt, it became obvious that it would almost fit Clank.

"Oh, dear." declared Bobble. He turned back to the pile. He pulled out one that was a good fit for Vidia, but lacked the large loops. "We're not out of ideas yet. Follow me." He led her to a small room off the side of the tinker shop, which held a pedal-powered heavy-duty sewing machine, amongst other things.

While Vidia watched, Bobble cut the loops from both belts, and sewed the large loops onto the smaller belt. Vidia tried on the custom belt, slipped the containers into the loops, and gave her hips a shake to make sure all was secure.

She gazed at Bobble with the slightest hint of satisfaction. "Good work, Phineas." She then vanished through the door in a gust of wind.

Bobble blinked, stunned, at the spot where Vidia stood a moment before. "You're welcome, Miss Vidia." he replied.

* * *

><p>The apothecary shop seemed vacant when Vidia walked up to the counter.<p>

"Mr. Wong?" called Vidia. She pulled the 4 containers from her belt and set them on the counter.

"Ah, Vidia." Wong appeared, smiling in the doorway behind the counter. "Is it time already for a refill?"

"I'm afraid so."

Wong left Vidia at the counter for a moment, then returned with a packet of her special herbal tea. "Freshly prepared, a few days ago."

"Thank you, Mr. Wong. I... have another request."

"Whatever I can help with." he smiled.

"You have... ground mustard, for poultices and such, don't you?"

"Certainly."

Vidia pushed the containers toward him. "I need some."

Wong's eyebrows went up. "I don't think I have that much on hand." He stared at the containers.

"What other strong spices would you have?" Vidia asked.

"Black, green, & white pepper, cayenne pepper, ground chili peppers..."

"Those will do." She pushed the containers again. "Just mix them up."

"Very well, then." He gathered the containers with a puzzled look, and entered his workshop. He returned minutes later, but suddenly paused, holding the containers.

"Vidia, you won't be using this on the hawk, will you?" he studied her eyes.

"I'd rather not say."

"Oh, Vidia." He looked disappointed, and spoke as a parent would to a child. "You're better than that. You don't need this."

"In case you forgot, this is a HAWK we're dealing with. Not a pigeon." she retorted. "Clarion has authorized any resources."

Wong sighed. "This is under protest." He deposited the containers before Vidia, who quickly slipped them into her belt, then picked up her special tea.

As she turned to leave, Wong said "Queen Clarion will hear of this."

Without turning or stopping, Vidia declared "By the time she does, this will all be over. One way or another."

Wong slowly shook his head, as Vidia jumped into the sky.

* * *

><p>Tinker Bell left the fast-flyers doing practice-runs in the area with the net traps. She casually flew back to her training site. From a little distance out, her site appeared to have undergone some demolition. She glided-in close to the base of the large tree, and spotted her hawk-model laying on the ground, wings twisted and broken; half buried in torn leaves.<p>

"Beaky!" she cried, in surprise, "What happened?" Tink landed next to the hawk-model, and examined the twine cords. They were not cut, but seemed to have been torn apart by excessive force.

She looked up at the torn twine cords hanging from the branch above, and the other branches which had been stripped of most of their leaves.

"Vidia." she said to herself, with a smile.

* * *

><p>.<p>

More fast-flyer action in Chapter 4.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I acknowledge that Disney Fairies & associated content are owned by Walt Disney Company. I am not interested in profiting from this document. It is for the enjoyment of fans only.

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**Vidia Captures the Hawk** - Chapter 4 - The Hawk's Story

Tinker Bell met the fast-flyers in the net trap area, next morning. There were also many tinkers, animal-talents, and a few nurse-talents. Everyone seemed a little anxious. This could be the day.

"How are you all feeling?" asked Tink, cautiously. They all wore their fast-flyer outfits.

With shrugs, they answered "Good."

"You guys are amazing." encouraged Tink. "You've done better than I'd ever hoped for, these last few days." Tink beamed at them. "Don't forget, you lead the hawk. She thinks she's in charge, but you control her. Just don't let her get too close. Any questions?" Tink asked them. The flyers glanced amongst themselves, then back to Tink.

"No questions." Aura answered, stepping forward. "Just this... we seriously value what you've taught us. We would never have figured out that stuff on our own. We're sorry we doubted you at first." She looked around at the other flyers, then offered a tidily leaf-wrapped package to Tinker Bell. "This is for you."

Tink took the package, and opened it to reveal purple fast-flyer tights, with a short tinker-green skirt.

"We all talked it over," continued Aura, "And decided to make you an honorary member of the Fast-Flyer Talent Guild." The flyers all grinned and applauded.

"This is so nice." Tink blushed. "I don't know what to say."

"You could say: Fly fast with you!" smiled Zephyr.

"Thank you." Tink responded, with a teary sniff.

The mood was broken by the drone of fairy alarm horns. Everyone looked to the skies.

"Time to go to work." declared Wisp, with resolve. The fast-flyers leapt into the air.

"Fly safe." Tink said, unheard by them, as she watched her students climb.

* * *

><p>"Look out hawk!" called Wisp.<p>

"Here comes trouble!" added Hermes.

"Time to bully the hawk!" laughed Tizzywing.

They slowed their climb, being well clear of the tree-tops, and scanned the horizon.

"There she is." pointed Aura. The flyers all felt a rush of nervousness.

"Spread out. Make her choose one of us." ordered Wisp. "Remember, we're professionals. We know what we're doing." The hawk swept closer. "Looks like she's heading for Elwood. Ready? And GO!"

Elwood turned and flew from the hawk, as the others exploded away from him and circled in behind. Elwood began a tight series of turns, forcing the hawk to fly slower to stay on his tail. The flyers continually chattered instructions and encouragement between themselves. Moments later, Elwood peeled off, as Aura took his place for a short time.

* * *

><p>Tinker Bell, and many of the other fairies near the ground, were hovering and sliding back &amp; forth to keep a good view of the action between the trees. The way the flyers buzzed &amp; orbited around the hawk looked like a beautiful aerial dance. If only the hawk's intentions weren't so deadly.<p>

"How is it going?" asked a warm, familiar voice from beside her. Tink glanced for only a moment.

"Queen Clarion!" Tink stated, with surprise. "Okay, so far. But they haven't managed to turn her to the nets yet."

"Look, it's Vidia!" exclaimed a fairy. Vidia had joined the chase, but was only following, not interfering with the other fast-flyers.

* * *

><p>It was Wisp's turn out in front. The others had gotten the hawk closer to the ground, so she began a winding turn, heading toward one of the drop-down nets. The hawk guessed her path, and cut into it, forcing Wisp to speed up to stay ahead.<p>

The hawk was less than a foot behind her, as she saw the net start its drop - too late. Wisp and the hawk flew under the net, the other flyers swooped above it, and Wisp snapped into a hard climb to dodge her pursuer.

"Timing, guys!" Tink yelled to the tinkers on the net.

"Sorry." came the apologies.

"Don't tell ME! You'll have to answer to the fast-flyers, if you keep missing!" she hollered. "Get that net back up, and be ready."

* * *

><p>"Nice try, Wisp!" called Hermes. "Let's get her down again."<p>

Wisp's climb had caused the hawk to follow, so now they were almost as high as when they started. Once again, they were into taking turns out in front of the hawk. At some point, Tizzywing appeared in front during a turn, but unknown to her, the hawk was higher and moving faster than she realized.

She saw the hawk closing fast, shrieked, and went to her top speed. She didn't hear her friends telling her to turn, turn.

"Tizz, look out!" yelled Zephyr, as he swung in behind her to shove. That move cost him. One of the hawk's talons split a wing, and gashed his back open. He shouted in pain, and began his fall.

Tizzywing and Leeta immediately turned to intercept Zephyr's fall. The hawk slowed to begin a dive, but Vidia shot past the other flyers, landed on the hawk's back, and tore a feather loose.

The hawk squawked, and rolled in mid-air to snap at her assaulter, but Vidia was already hovering, yards behind, tucking the feather into her belt.

* * *

><p>Tizzywing and Leeta quickly lowered Zephyr to the ground, where nurse-talents were waiting. Queen Clarion showered his wounds with her own special pixie dust, and the nurses bandaged him for transport to the Fairy Hospital. As soon as Leeta saw he would be alright, she jumped into the air to rejoin the chase.<p>

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Zef." bawled Tizzywing. "I panicked. I'm sorry"

"It's okay." Zephyr moaned between breaths. "We're both still alive."

"Let's get you off to surgery." declared one of the nurse-talents.

"No!" Zephyr winced. "I need to see how this turns out." The nurse began winding up for a rant, but Tinker Bell stepped in front of her.

"Let him stay, until he passes out." Tink ordered, quietly but ominously. The nurse backed-off.

* * *

><p>Vidia smiled diabolically as the hawk seemed to take a special interest in her. She dashed away from her hover, with the hawk rushing in. The other fast-flyers slowly fell behind, unable to keep up the pace.<p>

Vidia led the hawk in a series of flying-circus-like maneuvers, including loops, which the hawk was not used to.

* * *

><p>"It's tough flying, up there." Tizzywing told Tinker Bell. "The hawk is twice as fast as the crows. There's hardly any time to think." Tink nodded in sympathy.<p>

The fairies on the ground watched Vidia turn the hawk into a tight, flat circle, each chasing the other around the perimeter.

"What's she doing?" asked Tizzywing.

"It's called a Luftberry." Tink answered, with a smile. "Usually, the first one to leave the circle becomes the chased one. She's just toying with the hawk."

Without warning, Vidia streaked across the diameter of the circle, landed on the hawk's back, and tore another feather loose. The hawk twisted to snap at her, but she zipped upward, out of reach.

"Come on, Vidia." Tink frowned "Get the hawk into the nets."

* * *

><p>Vidia was enjoying herself for the first time in ages. She stroked the 2 hawk feathers in her belt, as the hawk swung back into pursuit. She began a string of gentle turns, looking back over alternate shoulders, to whip a vortex or side-burst at the hawk. She felt so in-control.<p>

The hawk fought to stay on Vidia's tail, and finally got lucky. It ended a vortex spin above Vidia, and swooped for a dive. Vidia casually glanced over her shoulder, and gasped in shock at the hawk almost on her.

In desperation, she gathered her winds around her and used them to push herself forward. In 1 second, she suddenly blasted 200 feet away from the hawk. The hawk slowed, veered-off, and headed away from Pixie Hollow.

"What just happened?" Vidia asked herself, hovering in mid-air. She shook her head, and decided she'd better get after the hawk.

* * *

><p>"Did you see that?!" Tizzywing shouted.<p>

"Yeah." Zephyr replied, intrigued. "How did she do that?"

"She flew faster than the hawk! A LOT faster." Tizz cried.

* * *

><p>By the time Vidia caught up, the other fast-flyers were already buzzing around the hawk.<p>

"We can't make her turn!" called Leeta, "She's given up!"

"I'll get her attention." growled Vidia. She slid out in front, pulled open one of the containers on her belt, and started a small vortex. She used the vortex to draw the powder from the container, then tossed the vortex at the hawk.

The hawk blinked as it flew through the vortex, but her mouth was open. The hawk slowed, as she sneezed and squawked several times. She pierced Vidia with her eyes, then turned toward the flyer, with a vengeance.

"Get her to the nets, before she quits again!" shouted Wisp, as Vidia zipped back to Pixie Hollow.

Once again, the fast-flyer group slowly fell behind, unable to match the speed of Vidia and her hawk. Vidia dropped near ground level, using her winds to hold the hawk back. She turned toward the closest trap, a drop-net with a concealed fixed-net a short way behind it.

As she approached, the net dropped a bit too early. Vidia dove through the fairy-sized net holes, but the hawk tried to swing over it, almost succeeding. She clipped the top of the net, and tumbled into the hidden one, which collapsed around her.

The hawk was down.

* * *

><p>Beck was the first fairy to reach the struggling hawk. Its head was free in one of the fairy-holes, but her body was bound by the net, held by nervous tinkers. The hawk panted and heaved, looking for a way out.<p>

"Easy. Take it easy." clucked Beck to the hawk. "We won't hurt you. We just want to talk." Fawn and Nolli pushed a human-sized bowl of water to the hawk. "Drink." clucked Beck, "Drink."

The hawk's panting slowed, and it sampled the water. Deciding it was safe, it gulped & gulped beakfuls.

"Not so fast." clucked Beck. "You'll hurt yourself." The hawk finally slowed. More fairies were gathering nearby.

"Let me go." clucked the hawk.

"Our queen wants to speak with you."

Vidia landed nearby, and marched up to the water bowl. She stared smugly at the hawk, and yelled "Who owns the sky?!"

Before anyone could react, the hawk used its beak to flip the bowl and remaining water over Vidia. It took her a few moments to crawl free, dripping wet. She glared at the hawk, fuming.

The hawk clucked. "You flew well. You are a worthy prey." translated Beck.

"WE'RE NOT FOOD!" roared Vidia.

"Not a very pleasant queen." clucked the hawk to Beck.

"That's not our queen." laughed Beck. "This is our queen." She indicated, as Queen Clarion glided up.

"Humble greetings, noble raptor." clucked Clarion. Beck looked startled at how well her queen spoke Hawk. "Would you translate for us Beck, so that all may hear?" Beck nodded.

The hawk clucked. "I await death by your hand." said Beck.

"We will not kill you." stated Clarion.

"You must. I will not serve you."

"We don't need you to serve us."

"Then let me go."

"First, tell us why you followed us here." coaxed Clarion.

The hawk was silent a moment, then clucked. "I was brooding nestlings. My mate was a good hunter. Life was good. Then one day, I heard human thunder-noises, and my mate never returned. I left my nestlings to hunt, and followed your servants here, hoping to find more. Now I've lost my mate, my nestlings, and my hunting grounds."

"We found your nestlings."

"Monsters!" the hawk struggled in the net. Everyone stepped back except Clarion.

"They're quite safe." assured Clarion. "We've kept them warm and well-fed."

"On nuts and berries!" the hawk lay still.

"Better than that. Our baking-talents have been making special high-protein, high-fat, soft pellets for them."

"What do you want of me?" Beck translated.

"We want to guide you home."

"You should kill me. I would." advised the hawk.

"We're nature fairies, we cannot do that."

"Very well. I accept your offer."

"Before we let you free, you must give me your promise as a noble raptor, you will never harm a fairy. Speak the truth. I'll know, if you do not."

The hawk paused, then clucked "In the name of Horus, I will never harm a fairy."

Clarion signaled the tinkers holding the net. "Let her go." The gathered fairies stepped back again, as the tinkers quickly but cautiously pulled the net from the hawk.

The hawk jumped to her feet, stretched her wings wide, then folded them and plumped her feathers. "What strange little creatures you fairies are." she clucked.

"Do you need food, or rest?" Clarion asked.

"I'm tired, but I'll manage. I need to see my nestlings."

"So you will." smiled Clarion. "Beck, you'll want to go with her." Beck smiled and nodded. "I'd also like a scout and a fast-flyer..." Baden and Tizzywing stepped forward. "Tizzywing?" noted Clarion with surprise.

"Zephyr said I should go. He said he'll be alright." she fidgeted.

"Fine then." she smiled. "Long life, good hunting, and many chicks to you, noble raptor."

"And to you, fairy queen." answered the hawk. She opened her wings, and with the spirit of her species, rose into the sky with the 3 fairies.

* * *

><p>The hawk wasn't even out of sight, and a still-damp Vidia was quickly surrounded by her fast-flyer clan. Tinker Bell stepped up, but stopped a little space from them.<p>

"How did you do that burst of super-speed, Vidia?" asked Wisp.

"Yeah, how?" asked Hermes.

"I-I don't know." smiled Vidia, shyly. "I just sort-of folded my winds around me, and used them to push me forward."

"Would you teach us how to do it?" asked Leeta.

"Yeah, teach us your wind-fold. Please?" craved Aura.

"Please, Vidia? Please, please, oh please?" begged Elwood.

Vidia gazed at the flyers with a slight smile. She gave Tinker Bell the tiniest of nods, and said "Well, let's see if we can figure it out." Vidia turned, and wandered toward a nearby clearing, surrounded by her flyer talents. Tinker Bell followed, a short distance behind.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Author's Post Notes:

The idea for this story came one day, when I thought "Why can't the fast-flyers use their Air-Bender powers to temporarily "steal" the hawk's ability to fly?"

I figured this was a good opportunity to also include the origin of Vidia's wind-fold. The fast-flyers need never fear hawks again.

That was my first action story. It turned-out kind of cinematic, with lots of "edits", scene changes, and viewpoint changes. Hope it worked for you.

I'll have to rate this story as "T", because of injuries to Zephyr.


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